Immigrant Fertility in Comparative Perspective: South Africa and the United States
Year: 2018
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: International migration spurs demographic change in premier destinations through the proportion of immigrants but also through their fertility levels, as they are often higher than that of native-born women. The context of each migration stream influences the composition thereof and is reflected in the fertility behavior of immigrant women. Data from Statistics South Africa and the United States Census Bureau are used to analyze the odds of giving a birth in the past year for the top three most prominent immigrant groups in each country. Odds ratios from logistic regressions indicate that the fertility differences between nativity subgroups are partially due to the compositional effects of age, marital status, and educational attainment. However, interaction terms and predicted probabilities suggest similar fertility behavior between foreign- and native-born women across different levels of educational attainment in each destination country. The nativity subgroups where fertility differentials exist may be attributable to immigrant subcultures.
Authors: Guadalupe Aguilera, Kim Korinek
Language: English
Topic: Migration and Labor Dynamics
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Reduced inequalities
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4251372652